


Merry Christmas, Love

by ellacj



Category: Carmilla (Web Series), Once Upon a Time (TV), Rizzoli & Isles
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-12
Updated: 2014-12-23
Packaged: 2018-03-01 04:32:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2759726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ellacj/pseuds/ellacj
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A series of short Christmas-themed drabbles based around my favorite femslash pairings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Baby, it's Cold Outside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WC: 250  
> Fandom: Once Upon a Time  
> Pairing: Emma/Regina  
> Rating: G
> 
> Emma forgets her gloves.

Emma forgot her gloves.

Regina rolls her eyes, but she can’t help the tiny smile that shines through her annoyance. “I asked you if you had them and you insisted you did.”

“I thought I did, okay?” Emma sighs, turning her pockets inside out. “I always keep them in my pockets. They must have fallen out or something.”

“That’s what you get for not double checking.”

“Yeah, whatever.”

They walk for a few minutes longer, Emma’s hands hiding in her sleeves, before the inevitable whining begins. “My hands are cold.”

Regina shrugs, a wicked smirk coloring her face. “I told you to bring your gloves.”

“I thought I did!”

“It’s your fault.”

“I can’t feel my fingers.”

“Honestly, Emma, you’re no better than Henry.”

“Can’t you warm them up with magic or something?”

“Well…”

“You can?”

Regina smiles, pulling Emma slightly closer to her side and wraps one bare hand in her gloved one. “I have something better than magic.” Pulling Emma even closer, so that they’re pressed tightly together, and takes both of her hands in hers. “I have pockets.” She tucks Emma’s hands into the pockets of her own thick coat, reveling in the feeling of Emma’s arms tightly around her in the cold wind.

Emma stares at her with her mouth slightly open. “I-I guess this is okay,” she manages, arms tightening around Regina’s waist.

And they walk together like this, Regina moving one hand to lightly rest on her purse.

The purse where Emma’s gloves lie.


	2. O, Christmas Tree

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WC: 250  
> Fandom: Rizzoli & Isles  
> Pairing: Jane/Maura  
> Rating: G
> 
> Jane and Maura finally get around to decorating their tree.

“Maura, I’m not putting apples on my Christmas tree.”

Maura pushes her lips into that little pout that Jane hates that she loves. “Why not? You said you would love a traditional tree.”

With a sigh, Jane runs a hand through her wild curls. “Fruit is where I draw the line. I want my house to smell like eggnog and chestnuts, not rotting apples.”

“Fine. But we’re still putting up the origami ornaments, right?”

“Of course we are.” Jane leans in and presses a soft kiss to Maura’s temple. “You make some good ones already?”

Maura reaches into her purse and produces a small mason jar full of multicolored origami stars, a beaming grin coloring her face. “Will these work?”

The two of them spend the next hour latching tiny stars onto branches, tucking them among needles, and throwing them at each other as much as decorating the tree. Then they add the gold foil which, according to Maura, was used as tinsel and garland on the first Christmas trees hundreds of years ago.

And then it’s finally done, and Maura sits and stares in awe at their beautiful little tree with origami stars and red baubles and gold foil and white lights that aren’t on yet. “It’s lovely,” she murmurs, leaning closer into Jane’s arm slung tightly around her waist.

Jane turns her head and kisses her softly, slowly. “I love you, you know.” Her feet move gently beneath her until she feels something solid.

The lights start twinkling.


	3. Silent Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WC: 1000  
> Fandom: Carmilla the Show  
> Pairing: Laura/Carmilla  
> Rating: G
> 
> This is probably the best Christmas Carmilla's had in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops I made this one longer and angstier than the rest

Carmilla doesn’t like Christmas.

It’s not that she’s some grumpy old scrooge, or that she just hates everything like everyone thinks; it’s that there’s someone missing. Yuletide was always Elle’s favorite time of year.

Carmilla hasn’t had a ‘merry Christmas’ since she lost her.

Laura’s a lot like Elle in that she absolutely _loves_ Christmas, though she stopped trying to make Carmilla get in the spirit when Carmilla told her about Elle. “As long as we still get to exchange gifts on Christmas,” she said, grinning brightly when Carmilla begrudgingly agreed. Of course, it was majorly difficult to find something suitable to give someone with such a light, happy soul, but Carmilla managed to find something just perfect to give Laura.

She even woke up at two o’clock in the afternoon on Christmas to help Laura get ready for Danny, LaFontaine, and Perry to come over for the gift exchange. Their little three-foot-tall (Laura alternates between calling it “fun-sized” and “dorm-sized”) Christmas tree twinkles in the corner of the room and there’s six gifts piled underneath it – one for each of their guests from both of them. Danny was, unsurprisingly, the hardest to shop for.

Carmilla endures the little party with a practiced smile and a few too many trips to the bathroom just to escape the clamor of happiness. “Merry Christmas, Elle,” she whispers, drawing her knees to her chest as she sits alone on the tiled floor. She comes out, bracing herself for more laughter and joy, but she finds the room empty but for Laura sitting on Carmilla’s bed.

“I had them leave,” Laura says, smiling uncertainly. “You seemed like you needed that.”

“Thank you.” Then Carmilla remembers the little box tucked away beneath her mattress, and lunges forward to grab it. “I want to give you your real gift,” she says softly. The others had all seen Laura receive the “Veronica Mars” box set as a tribute to their earlier bickering days, because this… this was too special for an audience.

Laura opens the box with care. “Is… is this the necklace your mom used to possess me?” she asks warily, holding the ruby red necklace at arm’s length.

“It’s not dangerous anymore. I just thought… I thought it would look nice on you. And it carries some memories.”

“Not for me,” Laura scoffs, but she puts the necklace over her head just the same, marveling at the way the gemstone catches the light in all directions. “I love it. Thank you.” She pulls Carmilla in for a gentle kiss. “And now I have to give you _your_ real present.”

“My real…?”

“Come on.” She grabs Carmilla’s hand, pulling her to the door. “LaFontaine set up a telescope so we could see it.”

Carmilla raises both eyebrows. “A telescope? Did you get me the _Apollo 11_ spaceship or something?”

“Nope.” Laura grins. “Better.”

Sure enough, there’s a telescope set up just outside the dorm building, pointed up toward the twinkling night sky. Laura takes a peek, pulling back from the lens with a wide grin. “Take a look.”

Carmilla inches slowly toward the contraption and presses her eye to the lens, and what she sees takes her breath away. A flickering ball of fire and gas, blues and reds and oranges all mixing in a perfect harmony. “It’s beautiful,” she whispers, pulling away from the telescope to look at Laura (who, in Carmilla’s opinion, is even prettier than the star). “But I don’t understand. How did you get me a _star_ for Christmas?”

“Well, um, it turns out there’s so many stars in our galaxy they can’t name them all, so a lot of them get stuck with really long strings of numbers as names. So there’s this thing where you can go online and pick a name for one of them, and that becomes its official name forever.”

“Are you saying you named a star after me?”

“No.” Laura reaches down and picks up a manila envelope Carmilla hadn’t noticed sitting beside the telescope. “Here’s the certificate.”

Carmilla takes the envelope gingerly, holding Laura’s eye contact for just a moment before turning her attention to the piece of paper sliding out of the envelope in her lap. Sure enough, it states that Laura named a star, and that the name she chose will be the star’s name for all of eternity. But the name on the paper doesn’t say _Carmilla_ or even _Laura_. Carmilla’s eyes fill with unbidden tears as she reads the name printed in simple black ink.

 _Elle_.

“I figure, you’re always missing Elle around the holidays, but now… this star is always overhead at Christmastime.” Laura fidgets with her fingers. “Now you don’t have to miss her because she’s always gonna be there. All you have to do is look up.”

Carmilla’s silent, just staring at the piece of paper in front of her and glancing up at the sky. Elle’s up there now, up there shining down on Earth as though it’ll change anything. But when Carmilla looks at Laura, standing before her with nervous hands and soft brown eyes, she thinks it might have changed a great deal.

“D-Do you like it? Because I mean, I can always go back and-” She’s cut off by Carmilla throwing herself into her arms, burying her face in Laura’s shoulder.

“I love you,” Carmilla murmurs, unsure if Laura even heard her.

“I love you too.”

And maybe it did change something; changed the course of Carmilla’s life. She couldn’t save Elle, couldn’t save any of those girls that her mother took, but something in the stars must have favored her because they gave her Laura and Laura could. And Laura could do so much more because not only did she save the girls, but she saved Carmilla; she _loved_ Carmilla, loved her more than Carmilla’s ever been loved before. Maybe people are right; maybe the stars align just right sometimes for just one shining moment.

And for one shining moment, Carmilla’s in love.


	4. All I Want for Christmas is You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WC: 500  
> Fandom: Once Upon a Time  
> Pairing: Emma/Regina  
> Rating: G
> 
> Emma gives Regina an extra present this year.

“I have one more present for you.”

Regina raises her eyebrows. “You do?”

Emma fishes in her jacket pocket for just a moment before producing a small box wrapped in silver paper and tied with a deep violet ribbon. “I didn’t want to give it to you when Henry was here.” She pauses, glancing at the spiraling staircase. “You think he’s asleep?”

“He should be.” Regina reaches forward and takes the box. It’s so small it fits neatly in the palm of her hand, so small that… well, not many things can fit in this box. Slowly, with all the delicacy of a butterfly landing on someone’s finger, Regina unties the ribbon and slides the wrapping paper off without a single rip or tear. And there it is in her hand, a tiny box in blood-colored velvet, resting in her outstretched hand. “Emma…” she says uncertainly.

“I know. You don’t want to get married.” She steps forward, sits on the couch beside Regina and grips her free hand between both of hers. “And you know I respect that. I just want you to open the box.”

“I-”

“I promise you won’t have to marry me if you open it.”

Regina takes one deep breath, then another. She opens the box. But there’s no ring resting inside, no giant diamond meant to convince her to abandon her resolve. No, inside that little velvet box is an entire world. Surely Emma’s been practicing her magic, because inside that little velvet box are tiny versions of both of them, laughing and smiling like Regina’s never laughed or smiled before. But these aren’t just pictures; little movies to make Regina smile.

These are memories.

It’s the time they went to the beach and it started raining as soon as they parked the car, it’s the time they told Emma’s parents over Christmas dinner, it’s the first time they kissed and the best time they kissed and that time they kissed on Main Street beneath a golden sun and the smiling gaze of their son.

But intermixed with all of Regina’s favorite memories are the ones she wishes she didn’t have to remember. Their first fight about how Emma kept sleeping over and Henry was bound to find out, when Emma found out that she wasn’t meant for Regina the way Robin was, when Regina kissed Robin and Emma kissed Hook and when Emma and Henry left forever-turned-one-year.

And then there’s tonight.

Christmas in Storybrooke, the two of them sitting beneath a beautifully decorated tree and Emma’s shifted to kneel in front of her. The memories fade to reveal a simple, small diamond embedded in a silver band, nestled tightly into the velvet folds. “You said I wouldn’t have to marry you,” Regina says hoarsely because for some reason, she’s crying.

“You don’t. I just thought I’d ask on the off chance that you’d change your mind.”

Regina glances at Emma’s hopeful smile, at the ring in that velvet box, and back. She sighs.

“Yes.”


End file.
